Discussion

Strawberry white merlot 'Jell-o' ... I outdid Martha Stewart

I really loved the recipe from Martha Stewart for fresh blackberry-red wine gelatin. I decided to give strawberries a try and simplify Martha's recipe a bit.

For strawberries I thought some sort of pink wine would be nice. After the blackberry gelatin, I was starting to suspect the wine needed to be in the background and let the fresh fruit star. Nothing too interesting.

So I chose the wine mainly on color ... the brighest pink ... ok, the sign also said it won a few awards, but it was $5.98 a bottle ... how good could it be?

Actually it was a nice little sipping wine and was perfect for this dessert. It is 2005 Forest Glen White Merlot. I can't tell you how lucious and juicy and strawberry-licious this gelatin tastes.

Martha's recipe had all this fussy stuff ... one packet of gelatin plus one teaspoon ... that sort of thing. I rounded stuff off. So here's the recipe ... I know Martha would be happy for me ... someone who needs a cookbook to boil and egg ... using her inspriation and ... well, doing better.

1. Prepare an ice bath 2. Hull and quarter strawberries3. Combine wine and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil4. In a heat-proof bowl, combine apple juice and water and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes5. Add strawberries to boiling wine and simmer 5 minutes6. Add hot mixture to apple juice and gelatin bowl.7. Put bowl in ice bath and stir for five minutes to cool.8. Put strawberries in covered serving cups like tupperware and put in the fridge ... about 3 hours to chill9. Eat and enjoy

Yeah, I didn't get too fancy with the apple juice because I was going for clarity in the jello. So I just used the little boxes of tree-top. I don't drink alot of apple juice and the single servig boxes fit my needs for the gelatin.

The apple flavor doesn't come through at all. I'm not really sure why there's a half a cup in there. Probably like you said to round out the flavor. I would guess that white grape juice would work as well, but you have to realize who you are talking to.

I get on these little projects once in a while, and for the most part do a good job (... we won't discuss the tutti-frutti incident ...), but my knowledge in cooking is pretty limited.

I'm pretty much at the end of this ... but there was that can of sliced peaches in joice in the cabinet that caught my eye ... and this IS so easy and good.